Detroit, MI, United States (AHN) – Ford has reached a tentative labor contract with union workers in more than two dozen plants nationwide.

The agreement with the United Auto Workers, which still requires ratification from members, will add 12,000 new jobs in the company’s facilities, 5,750 more than what Ford previously committed to the union.

The additional jobs includes positions in China, Japan and Mexico that Ford will bring back into the United States.

The UAW was also able to raise entry-level wages to $19.28 over the term of the contract, which will end in 2015. In addition, the union won a $6,000 settlement bonus for workers with a year or more of seniority, and $5,000 for those with less than a year.

John Fleming, Ford’s executive vice president for global manufacturing and labor affairs, said in a statement the tentative contract is “fair to employees” and “improves [the company's] competitiveness in the U.S.”

“UAW members sacrificed when the company was struggling, and this agreement ensures that our members will now share in Ford’s prosperity,” said union vice president Jimmy Settles.

Ford pledged $16 billion in total domestic investments, $6.2 billion of which will be used to produce upgraded vehicles and components in plants nationwide by 2015.

The investment also includes $1.1 billion in Kansas City, which Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon called a “historic development for next-generation manufacturing in the state.”

Dearborn-based Ford, the only American automaker not to receive a government bailout, was the second of Detroit’s Big Three to reach an agreement with the United Auto Workers.

General Motors ended negotiations with the union mid-September. The union ratified the contract that resulted in those talks by a 2:1 ratio.

The union, which represents more than 41,000 hourly and salary workers at 27 domestic Ford plants, now turns its focus to Chrysler, which Fiat acquired last year as part of the carmaker’s government-sponsored reorganization.

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Baltimore, MD, United States (AHN) – The General Motors electric motor plant being constructed near Baltimore will be doubly innovative in its use and conservation of energy.

The facility will be the first by a major U.S. automaker dedicated to making the critical components for vehicle electrification when the plant opens in 2013. Additionally, the state of the art facility will be partially powered by the sun.

On Tuesday, GM broke ground on the nearly $300 million plant. Electric motor design and production has become a core business for GM with the development and manufacture of plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles.

“We believe the future of sustainable transportation is electrically driven vehicles and this facility will help us maintain a leadership position within this category,” Mike Robinson, GM vice president for energy, environment and safety policy, said in a statement. “It’s fitting that green ‘motors of the future’ are being built at a facility well recognized for ongoing efforts to reduce its environmental impact.”

The campus will be powered in part by a 1.23-megawatt rooftop solar array and is expected to generate 9 percent of its annual energy consumption, saving approximately $330,000 during the life of the project.

“By harnessing solar energy from this array, GM will offset up to 1,103 metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the air per year – equivalent to the emissions from 216 passenger vehicles,” said Robinson.

GM’s Baltimore operation also generates no landfill waste. It earned zero-landfill status in 2007 by recycling, reusing or converting to energy all waste from daily operations.

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Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – Honda and Mazda on Thursday announced they would resume limited production at its Japanese plants, following other automakers that are restarting operations despite supply chain issues.

Tokyo-based Honda said vehicle assembly at factories in Saitama and Suzuka will begin on April 11. The company will resume manufacturing and shipment of components intended overseas on April 4.

Production of cars and components will resume at about 50 percent of original levels becuause the parts supply situation “remains fluid.” The company added that it will “carefully monitor the situation and manage its operations accordingly.”

Honda plants in the Tochigi area, where damage from the earthquake was worse, remain shuttered. Restoration of the factories is expected to take months, and Honday has temporarily transferred some operations such as product development and procurement to other plants.

Hiroshima -based Mazda likewise plans to begin limited vehicle production using available parts, on April 4. The company resumed partial production of replacement and overseas parts in Hiroshima and Hofu plants on March 22.

Nissan has resumed limited operations in all facilities in Japan except at an engine plant in Iwaki. The automaker, which reported damage to 1,300 U.S.-bound cars at one of its factories following the quake, said vehicle production would continue until supplies run out.

The company’s American operations has been unaffected so far and will follow regular schedules this week. It does not expect a sales shortage in the short-term, with a rearward day’s supply of 47 cars and 49 vehicles for the Infiniti division.

Meanwhile, Toyota restarted production of replacement parts for Lexus, Scion and Toyota vehicles less than a week after the quake. The car manufacturer resumed shipments of parts to United States last week, and on Monday began local production of Prius and Lexus hybrids, for which worldwide demand is high.

Toyota postponed the launch of a Prius derivative in Japan last week but on Tuesday said that a safety stock throughout its supply chain has allowed it to continue filling orders.

The company assures that invetories of parts are “adequate” but that 1 percent of these parts are under “controlled allocation” to ensure availabilty until the situation in Japan returns to normal.

A magnitude 9 quake struck off the northeastern coast of Japan on Mar. 11, causing a 10-meter high tsunami and leading to a partial meltdown at a nuclear facility north of Tokyo.

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Calgary, Alberta, Canada (AHN) – A panel appointed by Alberta to review the conflicting water quality data from the oil sands in the province concluded that contaminants are leaking into the watershed.

The body also said that the government monitoring program is not adequate because it failed to gauge the impact of industrial development on the environment.

The creation of the panel was an offshoot of different water quality information by Alberta scientists and the team of University of Alberta ecologist David Schindler. The university team concluded the oil sands polluted the environment, while the government scientists said otherwise.

Schindler’s team said they traced hydrocarbons and heavy metals in Alberta’s land and water, which the group linked to industrial smokestack emission. They also warned the contaminants may be at levels deadly to marine life.

Alberta Environment Minister Rob Renner said the panel’s report will be used to redesign how the province would monitor the oil sands industry’s impact on land and water. However, Schindler cautioned it is now too late to get a true assessment of the negative impact of energy development projects in the province.

The panel recommended more comprehensive monitoring and scientific analysis for the oil sands industry. The body pointed out that although the industry-funded Regional Aquatics Monitoring Program of the Alberta government has many monitoring sites, the program has low sampling of oil that limits the province’s ability to accurately assess the impact of the oil sands operations.

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You’ve probably heard or seen the advertisements and websites that that claim that they can show you how to tap into hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to start or expand a business that the U.S. government “gives” away each year. Despite what these people would have you believe, the government isn’t just “giving away” money to small businesses. There are however, lots of opportunities for small businesses to connect with Federal dollars. First though, you need to understand a few things. Here are the facts about business grants: 

1. Nearly all federal grants–even stimulus grants–go to states, local government agencies, schools or universities and qualified nonprofit organizations. Most Federal grants given to businesses are for specific purposes relating to the development of advanced technologies and renewable energy development.

2. Every federal grant program is for a specific purpose, has required activities and requires that the recipient account for every dollar. If the specified activities aren’t carried out or the money isn’t accounted for properly, there are very serious consequences.

3. All of the “secret” information that people will try to sell you is available for free at your local library or on the Internet. 

What the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says:   

4. Don’t ever pay any money for a “free” government grant. It’s not free if you have to pay for it. Government agencies would never ask you to pay a processing fee for a grant that you have already been awarded – or to pay for a list of grant-making institutions. The names of agencies and foundations that award grants are available for free at any public library or on the Internet. The only official access point for all federal grant-making agencies is www.grants.gov

5. Never give your bank account information to someone you do not know. Scammers pressure people to divulge their bank account information so that they can steal the money in the account. Always keep your bank account information confidential. Don’t share it unless you are familiar with the company and know why the information is necessary.

6. Look-alikes aren’t the real thing. Just because the caller says he’s from the “Federal Grants Administration” or something similar, it doesn’t mean that he is. There is no such government agency. Take a moment to check the blue pages in your telephone directory to bear out your hunch – or not. 

7. File a complaint with the FTC. If you think you may have been a victim of a government grant scam, file a complaint with the FTC online on their website (www.ftc.gov) or call 1-877-382-4357. 

If you are interested in learning about legitimate sources for business grant information, a good place to start is with your local Small Business Administration (SBA) office. The SBA does not offer business grants but they can help you connect with the proper resources for uncovering local, state and Federal business grant opportunities and they also may be able to guide you in the proper direction if you’re interested in pursuing cooperative agreements or contracting opportunities with the Federal government. 

Alternatively, you can also work with a professional business grants consultant. These are persons who are skilled in navigating the Federal maze and can help your business connect with local, state and Federal dollars. Before hiring a business grant writer, check them out and make sure you’re dealing with a professional who knows what he or she is doing and has a track record of success.

Author: R. Flavin
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Smart cooker